Wire-tension device



Sept. 15, 1925.

A. H. BRAID WIRE TENSION DEVICE 4@ Q wl'rNEssEs INVENTOR ATTORNEYSPatented Sept. 15, 1925.

Nara-D sra seminari-me eoureennonma.

vApplication filed vJuly 5,

To all tchomc't may concern.'

Bei rit known 1 that= 1,. AUGUSTUS Il Bann), a citizen offtheUnitedStatesancba resident of `Summerville,v.in the county of fDor- 5 chesterand. Stateof SouthCarolinmhave invented cert-ain .neivand useful.lnipr'ove- ,m'ents in lire-Tension .'Devices, io'f which the followingis a specification. A

My invention is an improvement in :de-

vicesiforv causing a tension. on a 'wire as the latter is-,drawnirin.the directionof. its length, and it consists vin lthe-fcombinatioijis,fconstructions `and ar-rangements .herein 2de- :scribed and. claimed. n

.A111 Object j of theA invention. is toV provide zA simple, v reliable Mand inexpensive `device Vwhich is adaptedy to impose .a tens on Vwhichmay bevaried Within aconsiderable range onta Wire atthe time therlatter.is moved the direction of- -its length.

. A. further -obj eet '.of f. the invention is to provide a device.l ofthe, character r described `Which can be constructedfto impose.`l ten---sions.onany--number.of Wires up to. argiven 251 number `and which thencan. be'adapted the addi'tionof but .relatively few additional parts andat but relatively` little .'cost toyiniposeitension on additional Wires.l

,Other 1objects Vandi,advantages will be rapparent from the! followingdescription ,econsidered vin. conjunction with the' accompanyingdrawings, in which: n H

Figure l is a. longitudinal vertical section' through a Wiref'tensiondevice.. embody- A:ing-the invention5 the View being takensubfstaintiall'y alongthefl-ine 1v-l ofFig'ure-Q,

`and

'.Figure 2 isa fragmentary.-planview.of .the device with portionsthereof broken 40 Viaway.

A device embodying the invention is designed particularly for use in.straightening and placinga. tension on -inagnetyvire dun ing thehandling of such'wire in the manufactureiof. electrical equipment but isadapted forusein placin'ga tensiononlanyflexiblef elongated inem-ber ofsmall sizel as will .beunderstood front the 'following descrip- 4=tion.

11n' carrying lout zthe invention, vI may make use ofi-an 'uprightsupport l which may be -a plate disposed lverticallyedge-Wiseyaf'standard orthe like. .A horizontal tableQ is formed with anintegral attaching.

56 eportion.3 depending therefrom Sat one-edge thereof,y the attachingportion .bei-ng secured iby `fastening devices,4 such as Athe bolts yandnuts indicatedate to the upperend portion yo f the. support. l.A The...upper Aface of the .table 2,*Wliich1prefeiably is formed of steel,is. .smooth .andplane and is disposed above the level oftheupper end 'ofthe supportll.

A uframe includes a. pair4 of`elongated...side members `15, only'bne'o'fWhichfis shown .in the drawings. However, it Will be understood `that.the side-members 5 are disposed at `,opposite ends of theztable 2'inright` angular( relationuto the :latter and that each side lnember.is secured to.the= table 2 in :any suitable, known manner,r as by meansof `the cap bolts 6,.the\k opposite ends of the Y side member extending..laterally of opposite sides of. the` table. The sideinember 5i is-.sho-Wn as .beingsecured at. its y opposite ferids Y screws 'T tocorresponding ends. of a pair yofpaiallelendme1nbers8- -The end meinv1bers. 8A preferably 4'aref formed of Wood and :are ydisposed inspaced:parallelV relation to --tlie -talole` 1It ofcourse :be'understoodythat :the end -membersf vvilllbe connectedfat -.tlieends-thereofwrvhi'ch are remote fromthe sidenieniber 5vvhichis shovvnsinthefdravvirngs by the 1 secondfside .member which `is 4not shown in` thedrawnings.v J y i Each end. member Sfisprovded With a lplurality of.`spaced .apart horizontal guide openings 9 which extend transverselythrough the en d1nember. Corresponding guide openings. Qofithetvvo end`'members are airially apli-ned andare located slightly above. the:level of .the vupper surface of. the itablelQ. vvire VlOZcan be ledthrough va guide '.openinjg .in one. end member 8,' then across theupper .face of thetablefQ` and vfinally through the; correspondingyguide --opening 9 .of the other end member. `The .means .for causing4ay tension on the vvire during r its longitudinal i movement between thecorresponding .guide openings ofthe i trvo.V endinembers includesafpresser block Allshavingaa postllQ upstanding therefrom vand extendingloosely through .a vertical Vopening, 13 infahorizontal` guide 14 forsaid 'post. :The v...guide 14 is `the horizontal.v `leg `of la. memberwhiohris angular/in cross sectionalzcontour and which is supported-.on

the table 2 infspaced.parallel relation to the i latten by .suitablefastening: devices, such as the-bolts 17.5. `'Ihevertical leg of saidan-`,guiar :member is. indicated. at. 16. Brackets Ysecurcdiby.screws 18toV theverticalleg `1G support horizontal 'shaft `19. "A lever of thevertical leg 16 across the upper end of the post 12. A second lever 22is fulcrumed at one end on horizontal pivot element 23 which is carriedby the side member 5. The lever 22 is disposed at a lower level than thelever 20. A horizontal shaft 24 extends transversely through the lever22 intermediate the length of the latter. The lever 2O is connected tothe shaft 24 by a tension spring 25. The lever'has a laterally turnedhandle portion 26 at its free end and it will be manifest thatmanipulation of the handle 26 to cause the lever 22 to swing downwardlyabout its fulcrum will cause a 'pull to be imparted through the spring25 to the lever 20, tending to swing the latter downwardly about theaxis of the shaft 19, whereby the presser block 11 will be moveddownwardly toward the table 2. The wire 10 which extends across thetable 2 between the latter and the presser block 11 is partiallyreceived in a transverse Vgroove, 27 in the lower face of the presserblock. The groove 27 preferably is V-shaped in cross sectional contour.It will be manifest that the wire passing between the table 2 and thepresser block will be under tension when the lever 22 is swungdownwardly in the manner described and that the tension on the vwirewill vary according to the extent of downward swinging movement of thefree end of the lever 22. A desired tension on the wire can bemaintained when obtained by preventing further swinging movement of thelever 22 about its fulcrum from a desired position. To this end, myinvention provides a holding bar 28 having a slot 29 in one end throughwhich an end portion of the shaft 24 extends loosely and beingbifurcated at its other end by a slot 30 through the shank of ahorizontal cap screw 31 which is in threaded engagement with an openingin the side member 5 extends. The cap screw can be tightened against thebifurcations of the holding bar 28, thus clamping the latter to the sidemember 5, whereby the lever 22 will be held against swinging upwardmovement about the axis of the pivot element 23 from a desired positionand a desired tension on the wire which extends between the presserblock and the table 2 will be maintained. The straightening and thehandling of the wire in the manufacture of electrical equipment or inlike use thus will be facilitated.-

It will be understood from the foregoing that a presser block and post,a lever 2O and a tension spring 25 may be provided for each pair ofalined guide openings in the respective end members 8 and that aplurality of wires can be straightened and maintained under tension atthe same time through the use of the device, the number of such wiresbeing limited only by the number of pairs of alined guide openings 9when a presser block and presser post, lever 2O and tension spring 25associated with the remaining parts of the device in the mannerhereinbefore described having been provided for each pair of guideopenings 9.

Gbviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms otherthan that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and Itherefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptationsthereof as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims. v

I claim 1. A ywire-tension device comprising a table, a pair of wireguides respectively disposed at opposite sides of the table for guidingan axially movable wire across said table, a presser block completelydisposed above and free from said table and having limited verticalmovement in respect to the table, said presser block having a groove inits lower face for engaging with the portion of the wire which extendsacross said table, said presser block having a post upstandingtherefrom, means engaging with said post for guiding the latter duringthe movements of said block with respect to the table and for limitingthe upward movement of saidk block, and tension means engaging said postfor urging the latter axially toward said table.

2. A wire-tension device comprising a table, a pair of wire guidesrespectively disposed at opposite sides of thetable for guiding anaxially movable wire across said table, a presser block disposed abovesaid table and having limited vertical movement in respect tothe table,said presser block having a groove in its lower face for engaging withthe portion of the wire which extends across said table, a leverswingable vertically for imposing a downward pressure on-said block, asecond lever swingable vertically and disposed at a level lower thanthat of said first named lever, and means connecting said levers, saidconnecting means including a tension spring.

3. A wire-tension device comprising a table, a pair of wire guidesrespectively disposed at opposite sides of the table for guiding anaxially movable wire across lsaid table, a presser block disposed abovesaid table and having limited vertical movement in respect to the table,said presser block having a groove in its lower face for engaging withthe portion of the wire which extends across said table, a leverswingable vertically for imposing a downward pressure on said block, asecond lever swingable vertically and disposed `at a level lower thanthat of said first named lever, means connecting said levers, saidconnecting means including a tension spring, and means for releasablyholding said second named lever against swinging movement from a desiredposition in respect to the first named lever.

4. In a wire tension device, a pair of horizontal spaced apart guidemembers having a plurality of pairs of axially alined openings throughwhich wires may be eX- tended, a table disposed between said guidemembers having a plane upper surface over which said wires will pass, avertically movable presser block for each wire, said presser block beingdisposed above said table and having a transverse groove in its lowerface or engaging the particular wire with which the block is associated,spring pressed means resisting movement of said presser blocks away fromsaid table, and a single means whereby the resistance of all of saidspring pressed means can be varied at will.

AUGUSTUS HERBERT BRAID.

